Seminar • Human-Computer Interaction • Serious HCI Research, Surprising Methods

Monday, August 26, 2024 10:00 am - 11:00 am EDT (GMT -04:00)

Please note: This seminar will take place in DC 1304 and online.

Lora Oehlberg, Associate Professor
Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary

In this talk, I will discuss three recent HCI research projects from my group that leveraged clever, unconventional methods to produce new research insights. First, a study of how we share multisensory experiences over the internet. Next, a study on how everyday people might use expressive visualization tools for personal data. Finally, ways of unpacking what it truly means when researchers and companies claim to “empower” people via visualization tools.

I will discuss the rationale behind our methodological choices, how those choices opened up new insights, and how creative thinking can help us tackle complex research problems.


Bio: Dr. Lora Oehlberg is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Calgary. She is a faculty member in the Interactions Lab, the university’s Human-Computer Interaction research collective. Her research is on technologies that support creativity, collaboration, and curiosity for a range of people: from maker communities and interaction designers to musicians, improv actors, doctors, and everyday people.

Before arriving at Calgary, she was an INRIA Silicon Valley Postdoctoral Fellow at INRIA Saclay. She has a PhD and MSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.


To attend this seminar in person, please go to DC 1304. You can also attend virtually using Zoom.